Kirkendall effect Strengthened-Superhydrophilic/superaerophobic Co-Ni3N/NF heterostructure as electrode catalyst for High-current hydrogen production

Yucheng Dong; Xichun Zhang; Xuyun Wang; Fangfang Liu; Jianwei Ren; Hui Wang; Rongfang Wang

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2023.01.006

Kirkendall effect Strengthened-Superhydrophilic/superaerophobic Co-Ni₃N/NF heterostructure as electrode catalyst for High-current hydrogen production

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2023 Apr 15:636:657-667. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.01.006. Epub 2023 Jan 4.

Authors

Yucheng Dong¹, Xichun Zhang¹, Xuyun Wang², Fangfang Liu³, Jianwei Ren⁴, Hui Wang⁵, Rongfang Wang⁶

Affiliations

¹ College of Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266042, China.
² College of Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266042, China. Electronic address: wangxy@qust.edu.cn.
³ Shandong Peninsula Engineering Research Center of Comprehensive Brine Utilization, Weifang University of Science and Technology, Shouguang, Weifang 262700, China.
⁴ Department of Mechanical Engineering Science, University of Johannesburg, Cnr Kingsway and University Roads, Auckland Park, 2092 Johannesburg, South Africa. Electronic address: jren@uj.ac.za.
⁵ College of Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266042, China. Electronic address: wangh@qust.edu.cn.
⁶ College of Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266042, China. Electronic address: rfwang@qust.edu.cn.

PMID: 36680956
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.01.006

Abstract

The development of efficient electrocatalysts for large-scale water electrolysis is crucial and challenging. Research efforts towards interface engineering and electronic structure modulation can be leveraged to enhance the electrochemical performance of the developed catalysts. In this work, a surface-engineered Co-Ni₃N/NF heterostructure electrode was prepared based on Kirkendall effect for high-current water electrolysis. In the experiments, the textural feature and intrinsic activity of the Co-Ni₃N/NF heterostructure were tuned through cobalt-doping and the creation of structural defects. As a result, the increased surface energy endowed Co-Ni₃N/NF heterostructure with superhydrophilic and superaerophobic properties. Meanwhile, the contact area of the gas-liquid-solid three phases was optimized. With a large underwater bubble contact angle (CA) of 169°, the electrolyte solution can infiltrate the Co-Ni₃N/NF electrode within 150 ms. Sequentially, the generated gas bubbles were able to detach at high frequency, which ensured the rapid mass exchange. The performance tests showed that the optimal Co-Ni₃N/NF electrode sample reached current densities of 100 mA cm^-2 and 500 mA cm^-2 at the overpotentials of 98 mV and 123 mV, respectively. Benefiting from the reduction of hydrogen embrittlement, the HER performance of the prepared Co-Ni₃N/NF electrode sample decreased slightly after 100 h durability test, but the overall structure remained well. Those results allowed us to conclude that the prepared Co-Ni₃N/NF electrocatalyst holds the promises for large-scale water electrolysis in industries. More specifically, this work provided a new perspective that the efficiency of electrocatalysts for large-scale water electrolysis can be enhanced by constructing a heterostructure with good wettability and gas repellency.

Keywords: Co-Ni(3)N; Heterointerface; High current hydrogen evolution; Superaerophobic; Superhydrophilic.